


It Started with A Meeting.

by storybored



Series: Whoever Spares The Bad, Injures The Good [3]
Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, Batman: Arkham (Video Games)
Genre: Gen, It's the meeting basically, No editing we die like jason todd, O'brien will verbally fight everyone
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-14
Updated: 2018-01-14
Packaged: 2019-03-04 16:54:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,179
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13369053
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/storybored/pseuds/storybored
Summary: Everyone was there: Penguin, Two-Face, Riddler, even poor Harley. Scarecrow said he had a plan. That together we could take you out, and Gotham would be ours.....





	It Started with A Meeting.

 

The Knight knew they were idiots, but they were his idiots. Loyal, selfish, self-serving idiots. Four of his captains, they were some of the best in the entire militia, and they knew it. Unafraid to boast  about their military prowess and willing to teach anyone who cared enough to pay attention. The Knight could learn through imitation as well as practice.A skill which no one else seemed to recognize, hell, his would be assassin showed more interest in him then Batman ever did and what kind of twisted logic was that?

The four men occupying the van along with him were the closest thing he had to friends, they were not his friends. They were subordinates, this close to the end and with still a stretch to go the Knight couldn’t afford such a handsome liability.

Stevens and O’Brien were finishing up the third argument of the car ride, but the twelfth since the Knight actually decided to pay attention to what they were saying for the day, it would have been more impressive if Santiago didn’t shut it down by threatening to beat the,m both and sell them for parts. What he lacked in charisma and people skills he made up for in skill, he was probably the calmest of the four of them and the most introverted.

Stevens was the most explosive but still the most loyal out of the four, all of them were annoyingly loyal reminding the Knight of puppies following around their parent. But Stevens was more loyal than that. He reminded the Knight of a loyal little yard bird who would have given his life for the cause, and did. O’Brien was clever, personable, you trusted him and he’d betray you to further his own goals. It took a bit of training but eventually O'Brien remembered where he stood and who was the alpha. Roberts actually had common sense which somehow ran short in the group of oh-so intelligent soldiers, somedays the Knight honestly wondered if they had a brain cell between them. He didn’t care what happened, you don’t tell Deathstroke he looks like a pirate because he wears an eyepatch unless you want to lose your lunch. 

“Boss, you sure about this?” O'Brien asked, he was on what the other captains unofficially labeled babysitting duty for the Knight and then he lost the Knight, who came back with a black duffle bag that he seemed intent on carrying himself. It was best if the others didn’t know.

Santiago laughed,”Oh ye of little faith.”

The Knight sensed O’Brien gearing up to pick a fight with someone besides Stevens, and decided to break the silence he held since he told his men of the meeting and the mission a week ago,”Enough. If you continue to act like children you will be treated like children. When we’re in the meeting you are to be seen and not heard, speak only when spoken to. Do I make myself clear?”

“Crystal, Sir.” Rogers said looking at the Knight’s “eyes”. The other men quickly nodded, fixing their guns as the Knight walked into the room like he owned the place, and the blonde that was dressed like a clown looked afraid, the other people for the meeting glared at him. THe meeting was his, and despite what Scarecrow thought and wanted, it’d be a long time before he called anyone sir.

A cockney and rather irritated voice spoke,”Yeah yeah. We all fear Batman. Tell us something we don't know.”

A growling voice spoke and it wasn’t anything like the “reassuring” mechanical grind of the Night, it was like someone was trying to emulate that sound organically, it was the guy with half his face burned off. The men were pretty sure he was called Half Face or something along those lines”Like how we kill him.”

If the men thought he was capable of it, they would think the Knight would  be smiling,”That’s my job.”

Santiago sucked in a breath at the people in the room, the biggest bads of Gotham minus the heads of the mobs. These were Batman’s enemies, Two Face looked almost amused,”What makes you so special, kid?”

The Knight dropped the duffle on to the table and it made a wet noise as it struck,”Take a look.”

Harley opened the bag and dropped her hand like the bag burned her,”Bones?”

Two face looked in the bag, and the growling voice was gone,”What the hell is this?”

“The heads of your second and third in commands.” The Knight sounded extremely proud of himself to the militia men who spent time figuring out the other tones the voice modulator hid. If the Knight could smile he was definitely smiling. The men looked in the bag seeing a bunch of heads stuffed into it. The Knight twitched causing the men to shift back to their original positions and tighten their grips on their guns,”THat took me two hours by myself. Want to see what I can do with an evening and an army?”

Two Face flipped a coin and met the Knight’s glowing slits,”We’ll give you a chance.”

The Knight shifted his gaze to Harley, there seemed to be a silent battle of wills and the Knight kept staring, as everyone began to shift uncomfortably. Harley looked down at her shoes,”We’ll side with you. Penguin?”

Penguin glared at the Knight and the men braced their weapons. The Knight held up a hand and the men relaxed slightly. Penguin seemed even more irritated by even having to consider this deal,”I’ll get back to you.”

“Men.” The Knight exited the room and began to hook up to the bug he left in the room, linking the men into the Bug’s frequency.

**“** This cocky gobshite isn't the first Bat-fanatic to muscle in on our turf. I'd sooner piss on him than trust him.” Penguin said which caused the militia men to growl at the insult to their boss.

“The coin says give him a chance.”

“Sod the stinkin' coin. When I make a deal I like to look a man in the eye.”

**“** Did you bring a footstool?” The Knight made a noise at that, almost like laughter.”

“ Yeah, real funny, Harv. You keep talking like that and Scarecrow's little ceasefire ain't gonna happen.”

**“** Let this Arkham Knight run his army. Leave him and Scarecrow to chase the Bat.” Two Face’s voice switched to that grating growl,”We can take care of ourselves.”

**“** I'm 'avin nothin to do with your bank job, aside from my cut, of course.”

**“** You just make sure our men are armed and our guns loaded.”

“Oh don't you worry, Harv. The guns'll be loaded. Every bleeding second of this truce.”

Stevens smiled brightly,”That went extremely well.”

Santiago squinted reflexively,”Falcone, Maroni, and Mooney weren’t there. Do they have no business with the bat?”

“No, Falcone and Dent aren’t on amicable terms. It’s best if you conduct a meeting separately. I am to meet them tonight.”

“You gonna need some help?” Roberts asked, he read enough of the Knight’s briefings to know Gotham wasn’t a place you could fuck around in, but he still wasn’t quite sure of who was in power. 

The Knight hopped into the back of the van, Santiago took the driver’s seat toting his Gothamite status as why he got to drive,”Where to, Boss?”

“Moony’s, and I don’t need help, they’re old friends of mine.” The Knight said thinking about how he needed the docks to get the militia from Venezuela into Gotham, it was the end of September and he was running out of time,”While I’m in the meeting, explore Gotham. Get some food. I’ll contact you when the meeting is over.”

The Knight removed his helmet and the men gasped at the scars, the J shaped burn on his cheek, at the youth on the Knight’s face, the white streaks in his hair. They didn’t look like they were done professionally, but spaced randomly, a white forelock made the men question not the morality of the Knight, but the morality of Batman himself. Why did a kid want him dead, what did he do? Or what didn’t he do?

The Knight put on a civilian out over his uniform, only leaving the glowing computerized mask, causing the men to shift uncomfortably, the man, boy, who wore the mask hopped out when Santiago pulled in front of a lounge with a neon fish in the window,”We’ll be around Boss. DOn’t hesitate to call if you need back up.”

The Knight muttered lowly,”Back up? I remember kicking the crap out of all of you more than once.”

The men spent enough time pasted to the Knight’s side to know he was teasing, Roberts looked at the Knight,”We love you too, Boss.”

The Knight slid out of the van,”.......Idiots.”

* * *

****

The Knight walked into Fish’s and he was greeted as expected. The kind that made him feel all “warm and fuzzy” on the inside, the welcome wagon was short work to say the least. 

Falcone and Maroni cocked their guns under the table causing the Knight to smile,”Is that any way to treat an old friend?”

Fish looked up at the sound of his natural voice, he hasn’t heard it by itself for a long time,”Jason Todd? Is that you?”

“Hey Fish. How ya been?”

FIsh gestured to the chair in front of her as Falcone and Maroni put their guns down, and Maroni spoke,”God, kid how many years has it been? Thought you died.”   
_ “Of course sir. It’s -” _

Jason’s chest burned, but he was used to it by that point,”Too many. Thought I’d get back to my roots. Back to the only family that mattered.”

Falcone frowned at that,”WHat happened to Wayne? “

Fish leaned forward irritated,”And where the hell have you been, over 3 years, heard nothing from you. Not even a letter. One would think you didn’t like us anymore.”

Jason shrugged,”Been busy. Wasn’t in Gotham for awhile. I’ve only come back for a week. What’d I miss?”

Maroni shrugged,”Depends what you got for us.”

“The Bat’s slowing down, whether it be age or lack of a real challenge. He’ll be looking for a replacement. I suggest you put out feelers, get possible replacements under your thumb before he can. You can take back the city.”

“For being gone so long you seemed to keep up on gossip, Red.” Falcone said as he thought over Jason’s intel.

“Hey, I was the best runner in this god forsaken city for a reason.” Jason said leaning forward,”Plus we’re family. You can always be honest with family.”

Fish “smiled”,”Of course, baby. We hear a smuck calling himself the Arkham Knight has been prowling around. Says he’s got plans. Of course that has nothing to do with us. But what do you think?”

Jason pursed his lips,”Well, braggin. People have tried to make  _ plans _ before. Arkham City, that was Hugo Strange. Nightwing tries to stay away from Gotham, Batgirl is gone. Robins are replaceable. Levithan can be a threat but there are no metahuman heroes allowed in Gotham. Anyone can be killed. Even a Bat. This guy if what he’s saying is true. And he visits? Go with your gut. Batman and Gordon never got what was important about you guys, you gave us work. Keep Gotham from crumbling. Even Batman has to succumb to gravity.”

Fish shook her head as Jason stood up,”You and that damn metaphor. Don’t be a stranger. You’re always welcome here.”

Jason nodded and left. He collapsed in the alley besides the lounge, as hysterical laughter echoed in his brain. He clicked on the comms unit,”Men, the meeting is over. Come back.”

“On our way, Boss.”

The van rolled around the corner as Jason stood up, he needed to be away from Gotham. He wouldn’t drown in this place before he got a chance to get justice. For him, for Barbara. For everyone that Bruce crushed under his foot as he became GOtham’s “savior”. THe van door swung open and Jason climbed in taking off the civilian outfit and sliding his mask back on, at this point the mask was more for comfort then necessity. He saw that his mean were watching him warily, less like they didn’t trust him but like they were curious. They were going to get themselves killed by being associated with the KNight. Santiago, however, didn’t have the wary look on his face, it was the look of someone who had the face but couldn’t quite place the name. Jason knew it was a risk with Gothamites, but he stayed out of the limelight as often as possible when he was with Bruce and he looked different, older, more haggard. Jason wasn’t too worried about Santiago finding out his identity even if he could, what good would it do him. One person knowing his identity wouldn’t change the mission at all.

 


End file.
